The Emmys Wimp Out

When the Emmys announced their best series long lists — the ten shows in each category that had a chance at a coveted nomination — we wondered if the presence of such surprising shows as Family Guy, The Tudors, and The Wire suggested an actual shake-up in the Emmys, or if those lists were just the Academy’s way of covering their butts. Well, now we know, as from those exciting long lists (and the ones uncovered by the diligent diggers at Gold Derby), a bunch of really boring Emmy nominations have sprung.

The biggest stories, of course, are the presence of Mad Men — the first basic-cable series ever to get a Best Drama nomination (along with Damages) — and the absence of The Wire, by universal acclaim the best TV show ever, which failed once again to be nominated for any major awards. We’re not complaining about Mad Men’s sixteen-nomination haul — the show is terrific, and deserves its acclaim. And it’s expertly ridden the Show You Should Watch bandwagon in a way The Wire was never able to accomplish, making itself into the hot series the Emmys couldn’t ignore. But is anyone surprised that of these two long-shot shows, the big winner today was the one set safely in the past, in New York, with nary a black person to be seen?

Meanwhile, The Wire picked up one nomination, for David Simon’s teleplay for the series finale — exactly as many nominations as According to Jim, Deal or No Deal, Hannah Montana, Ice Road Truckers, Jay Leno’s Garage, Kid Nation, Meerkat Manor, The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Robot Chicken, Scrubs, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. No matter how many nominations you give Breaking Bad, TV Academy people, you’re not making up for this embarrassment.

Vulture’s coverage of the Emmy nominations:
Emmy Nominations Announced!
Did Katherine Heigl’s Crappy Attitude Rob ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ of an Emmy Nomination?
Jerry Seinfeld Practically the Only Guest Actor on ‘30 Rock’ Not Nominated for an Emmy
‘I’m Fucking Matt Damon’ Now a Bittersweet Emmy Nominee